A new European research network is accelerating innovations in membrane science that could cut the cost of life-saving cancer treatments, pull CO2 directly from industrial emissions, and deliver clean water to millions – all with technologies thinner than a human hair.
A material so thin it is invisible to the naked eye is capable of separating carbon dioxide from factory exhaust, purifying the antibodies used in cancer treatment, and filtering contaminated water more efficiently than any technology that came before it. This membrane technology is becoming one of the most consequential innovations of the 21st century.
Crowdhelix, a global open innovation platform connecting researchers, industry leaders and policymakers has launched its Membrane Technology Helix, bringing together 15 leading experts from 22 organisations across 9 countries to accelerate the development and real-world deployment of membrane technologies across healthcare, energy, industry and the environment.
Making Cancer Drugs Affordable
One of the most immediate applications is in medicine. Monoclonal antibodies – the biological compounds at the heart of modern treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases and a growing range of conditions – are among the most expensive substances on earth to manufacture. A key reason is the complexity and cost of purifying them.
The Helix's flagship project BIOPURE, funded under the EU's Horizon Europe programme, is tackling this directly. By developing innovative membrane-assisted continuous purification processes, BIOPURE aims to dramatically reduce both the cost and the chemical intensity of monoclonal antibody production – with direct consequences for patient access to life-saving treatments.
"What we are doing with BIOPURE is not incremental improvement – it is a fundamental rethinking of how biological medicines are made", said Prof. Alberto Figoli, BIOPURE Project Coordinator and Director of the National Research Council of Italy’s Institute on Membrane Technology.
"If we succeed, the impact will be felt not just in the laboratory but in hospitals and clinics, by patients who currently cannot access therapies that are simply too expensive to produce at scale".
"Membrane technology offers a cleaner, more efficient path – one that reduces chemical waste, lowers energy use, and makes the entire purification process faster and more sustainable".
Capturing Carbon at Source
A second EU-funded project, DAM4CO2, is applying membrane innovation to one of the defining challenges of the climate crisis: removing CO2 from industrial emissions before it reaches the atmosphere. Using advanced membrane processes to capture carbon directly at source – in steelworks, cement plants and chemical facilities – DAM4CO2 offers a potentially scalable, low-energy alternative to conventional carbon capture technologies, with implications for the entire net-zero transition.
A Platform for the Next Generation of Breakthroughs
Beyond these two projects, the Membrane Technology Helix is designed as a permanent collaborative infrastructure for membrane science – connecting researchers working on everything from greener polymer fabrication using sustainable solvents and biopolymers, to advanced water filtration, gas separation, and biomedical applications.
"Membrane technology sits at the intersection of some of the most important scientific and industrial challenges of our time", said Andrew Salomon, Membrane Technology Helix Manager at Crowdhelix."
The Membrane Technology Helix exists to ensure that the world's leading minds in this field can be connected, collaborating, and accelerating each other's impact".
“BIOPURE and DAM4CO2 are tackling problems that matter enormously – not just to researchers, but to patients, to industry, and to the planet. That is exactly the kind of work this Helix was built to support and amplify".
Organisations wishing to join the Membrane Technology Helix and engage with the BIOPURE and DAM4CO2 project communities are invited to visit crowdhelix.com